‘Hang Drum US’ Hang Drum Replica - A New U.S. Made HandPan?

(?) Are you searching for a list of Hang-like instruments made in the US? Search here instead.[UPDATE!] - This HandPan now appears to go by a variety of names Hernan Drum', and 'HandPan.US, being among them. And a more recent post about them can be found: HERE.(Note - the following text is now somewhat out-of-date, but does still serve some purpose as an historical reference).

At this point in time we’re not entirely sure what a ‘Hang Drum US’ is. The first time I stumbled across their website I was wary, it was all worded a little bit scam-like, and I wasn’t convinced. Then recently I stumbled across an auction on eBay that was offering a ‘Hang Drum Replica’ for sale, under the same name ‘Hang Drum US’. This got me thinking, that perhaps this WAS a new member of the HandPan family after all, and an alternative American made instrument to rival the Halo. However, looks can be misleading. Because while the listing makes mention of the complicated procedures involved in tuning a Hang, it also states much lower down the listing, that a ‘Hang Drum Replica’ (with the emphasis on ‘Replica’) is exactly what this item is.

In other words, it’s an ornament. It looks the part, but doesn’t play

. So if what you’ve been searching around for is something that looks like a PANArt Hang, that looks great and comes with its own display stand, but isn’t tuned in the slightest, this could be just what you’re after. But if on the other hand you’re looking for an instrument, and not a coffee table decoration, you may want to give this a miss. Especially at a price of $500, which is more than the original first generation (tuned) PANArt Hang cost when they were first sold.

However, we’re not writing these off completely just yet, because it could be that this is the first rushed step towards something greater, because their website does mention a waiting list that can be signed up-to, to procure a tuned version of the Hang Drum US, with the reassuring statement (for an instrument with no online evidence of its existence other than a few pics) that ‘no payment is necessary until the instrument has been received and tested by the customer’ (at time of writing), Which at the price of $1,500, for an unknown instrument from an unknown manufacturer, is exactly what we’d recommend (at this point in time).

[EDIT] Hang Drum U.S. have since updated their eBay listing for their replica to expressly state that they are for decorative purposes only, and the price has been reduced. However, they do now appear to be on sale from at least four different eBay stores/accounts, each with zero feedback, make of that what you will.